Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Generation of Vipers | 1942 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
| 2 | An Essay on Morals | 1947 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
| 3 | Denizens of the Deep | 1953 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
| 4 | The Answer | 1955 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
| 5 | The Magic Animal | 1968 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
| 6 | Sons and Daughters of Mom | 1971 | Philip Wylie | Buy |
Philip Wylie’s non-fiction was as provocative as his fiction. Generation of Vipers (1942) was a bestselling attack on American society that introduced the concept of “Momism” into the cultural vocabulary. The book argued that American mothers were raising a generation of weakened men, a claim that generated enormous debate and kept the book in print for decades.
His other non-fiction includes An Essay on Morals (1947), which attempted to reconcile science and ethics, and The Magic Animal (1968), which continued his examination of human nature. Denizens of the Deep (1953) turned his attention to marine biology. Wylie’s non-fiction shares with his fiction a willingness to provoke and a refusal to stick to safe subjects.